2024-04-17 15:45:50
Lack of equipment, poverty and geographical constraints, the overseas departments are the territories with the fewest sports licenses in the country. An observation to be qualified in certain sports, such as football, which makes Mayotte the third department with the most licensees.
Tennis, football, fencing, climbing, swimming and even field hockey. All these sports, and many others, will be represented at the 2024 Olympic Games. But what about the practice of these sports by the French? 100 days before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) publishes an overview of sports licenses in the Paris 2024 Olympic federations.
Based on data from 2022, the institute analyzes the number of licensees for each sport represented at the Olympics, according to age, gender and department. In total, 8.8 million annual licenses were issued in 2022, the equivalent of 130 licenses per 1,000 inhabitants. The departments located on the Atlantic coast are at the top, while the overseas departments share the bottom of the ranking.
Guyana is in last place with 19,500 licenses distributed in 2022, for an equivalent of 66 licenses per 1,000 inhabitants. A situation which can be explained by the lack of approved sports structures, and the poverty rate of the population according to INSEE. “In addition, the geographic isolation of part of the population makes travel long and costly, and can also limit participation in sporting activities. specify the experts.
In all departments, French and overseas, football remains the most popular sport. Mayotte is among the departments with the most licensees, with 40 licenses per 1,000 inhabitants, just behind Pays de la Loire and Brittany. Handball also attracts many Mahorais since it is the second sport with the most licensees, “even though it ranks 3rd nationally”. Another ball sport, basketball in Mayotte ranks second in terms of the number of licensees in France.
Easy practices “by the presence of numerous ‘non-specialized’ facilities such as large games fields (football, rugby, etc.) and outdoor playgrounds and playgrounds”, analyze the experts. Conversely, sports activities which require more equipment such as tennis, judo or swimming attract fewer members. As the study points out, Mayotte has the lowest rate of sports equipment in France.
Other factors such as geography and the culture specific to each department largely influence the choice of sport. Where rugby is the star in New Aquitaine, surfing and free flying benefit from the favorable environment of Reunion Island. These two sports have a rate of licensees higher than the national average in Reunion, just like karate and martial arts. In Guadeloupe and Mayotte, it is rescue and first aid that attract more followers than the national average.
After a significant drop in the number of licensees during the pandemic, sports federations have returned to the same level as in 2017. Thanks to its strong demographic growth, Mayotte is the department with the strongest increase in the number of sports licenses in the country. This increase is explained in particular by the number of licensed women which increased by 31% between 2017 and 2022. But throughout the country, women take out fewer sports licenses than men.
On the other hand, the number of licensees has particularly fallen in the other overseas departments. Between 2017 and 2022, Martinique lost 20% of its licensees, Guadeloupe 19%, Guyana 12% and Réunion 9%. A situation to put into perspective with the aging of the population for Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Despite everything, certain sports have seen their followers multiply. This is the case for sailing in Guadeloupe which distributed an additional 560 licenses. A boom which can be explained by the organization of the Route du Rhum, an event which brings together “more and more Guadeloupean competitors with each edition”, and that “requires significant structuring and commitment from clubs”, according to the institute.
INSEE is also interested in sports practice outside federations, in private or autonomous structures. 65% of people aged 15 or over say they practice sports regularly. A lower rate in all overseas departments, except Guadeloupe. It is the people of Reunion who are the least sporty, with only 50% of the population practicing a sporting activity at least once a week.
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